


Dental Drama

by BlackHunter666



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Avoiding Care, Daily Agony, Dental Pain, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-14
Updated: 2015-02-14
Packaged: 2018-03-12 19:38:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3352898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackHunter666/pseuds/BlackHunter666
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It started with a ration stick and blew out into a major problem but can Fox face his fears of being seen as less than perfect and admit he's got a problem?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dental Drama

Settled at his desk, going over the various reports that came in from his subordinates, Fox lifted his gaze when his wall chrono chimed a quick little melody. Smiling softly, he shifted his seat a little and slid open the top draw of his desk, reaching for the ration bars he always kept close to hand. Personally, he thought the mess food in the barracks was a little bit too fancy for them; it was something more likely to be found at some of the diners around the area. He was much happier to chew on a ration stick as he worked.

Leaning back in his chair and putting his feet up on the corner of his desk, Fox settled his datapad against his knees and continued to read as he bit into the ration bar. Chewing slowly, he froze as a shooting pain raced through his upper jaw. Looking at the ration stick in his hand, Fox tried rolling the half chewed mass to the other side but even that didn't help as another bolt of pain tore into his head.

Dropping his feet, Fox reached for the garbage receptacle beside his desk and spat, rubbing at his jaw as he sat back. Getting up, he tossed the datapad onto his desk and grabbed his duty cap from the corner of his desk. As much as he disliked the mess food, he couldn't simply ignore his need to eat because of an achy jaw. Hopefully the on duty cooks hadn't been messing around too much and he could get a decent meal.

Tugging his duty cap on and making sure it was sitting properly; Fox left his office and headed for the mess three floors down. It was nice to have a day off from wearing his armour, even if he felt like he was missing something every time he wore his fatigues instead. At least he could sit comfortably in his fatigues without ending up with deep lines pressed into his flesh. Honestly, one would think that someone had tested the armour and discovered that it left these painful marks after just a couple of hours wearing it.

Stepping off the turbolift and wandering towards the mess, Fox picked up on the excited babble of voices and slowed, listening to the conversations flowing out of the mess. The men were all happy, talking about the food and then Fox heard someone mention steaks. Groaning faintly, Fox strode into the mess and held up his hand to forestall the usual jump and snap to attention he got whenever he was out and about.

Striding through the mess, Fox was partly grateful that the line was so short but also annoyed that the men in the line stepped aside to let him pass. He would have preferred that they just keep filing through but they always moved aside for him. Grabbing a tray, Fox looked along the servery and tried to spot anything that he could eat without setting off his pain receptors again.

Trying not to let his men know anything was wrong; Fox didn't say anything against the meal he was handed and mentally catalogued what he thought would be appropriate for him. He wasn't even sure if his kaf would cause any problems but he had to try and make this seem like any other day. He couldn't let his men see him as weak.

Finding a seat in the back corner of the mess, Fox tried to relax as he examined his meal closely before deciding to try with the mashed tubers and go from there. Sipping his kaf caused some discomfort but it wasn't too bad considering. Back to the men to maintain what little privacy he could get, Fox took a tentative bite of the mashed tubers and chewed slowly, waiting for the pain. There was a definite tingle of pain when he tried to bite down but the tubers were soft enough that he barely had to chew to get them down. Now he was starting to wish he'd asked for extra of the tubers because he knew he wouldn't have a hope with the steak.

Trying the other vegetables that he'd been given, Fox was relieved to find that most of them gave him little trouble with his jaw, so long as he was careful to avoid the really crispy bits on the edges of some pieces. The gravy on the steak was really nice too, adding extra flavour and making some of the crispy bits that little bit easier to eat.  
'Mind some company, sir?' Ponds asked, setting his tray down beside Fox.  
'Only if you intend to trade food.' Fox replied, going for the beans and dunking them in his gravy pot. 'Trying out a new idea Cody mentioned last time he was on-planet.'  
'Do I want to know?' Ponds asked, sinking down beside him.  
'Something about the health benefits of a strictly vegetarian diet every so often. He does it for one week of every standard month and swears it's made him fitter and stronger.' Fox shrugged, going back to his tuber mash happily.  
'He swears of meat for a week at a time? He's a stronger man than I am. I love my meat.' Ponds chuckled, shaking his head in wonder. 'Sure, I'll trade whatever vegetables you want for your steak. Though I heard that the tuber mash was really good this time.'  
'It is good.' Fox nodded, stabbing his steak and dropping it onto Ponds' tray. 'I know you don't like the fungi mix but apart from that, whatever you're willing to trade I'll be happy with. I'd rather this didn't get out to the men yet.'

Pushing his tray closer to Fox's tray, Ponds gratefully scraped away the fungi mix, not at all interested in the fried fungi and the sauce mixed into them. Thinking for a moment, he kept back about half of the remaining vegetables on his tray and scraped the rest over to Fox's, figuring that if he wanted to eat vegetarian, the least Ponds could do was make sure he got enough to eat.  
'I still think this is a crazy idea but I'll share my meals with you while you're trying this.' he offered, tucking into his steaks with gusto. 'But are you sure you want to watch me eat this?'  
'You go right ahead. Just because I made this choice doesn't mean you can't enjoy meat.' Fox grinned, leaning one elbow on the table and going right back to his veggies. 'The gravy is really good this time.'  
'Kriff, that's their best yet.' Ponds agreed, licking the gravy off his finger. 'I can see why you're coveting what gravy you've got left.'  
'I like my vegetables but I'm going to need something to help with the flavours before I get bored.' Fox chuckled, listening to the conversations around them and smiling because he picked up no questions about his strange behaviour.  
'I'm sure the mess sergeant can organise something for you.' Ponds suggested, chewing thoughtfully as he looked at Fox. 'You know Blade would be all too happy to make allowances without anyone else knowing about it.'  
'I'll talk to him later.' Fox agreed, turning back to his meal with a grin.

#^#^#^#^#^#

Snarling like a wounded gundark, fed up with his vegetarian diet and fully aware that he was treading a fine line towards outright disrespect, Fox strode into the base infirmary and scanned the main room quickly. Spotting Suture at his desk, Fox crossed the room and grabbed the medic by the arm, shoving him into the private room behind the desk.  
'Sir?' Suture questioned, offering no resistance as Fox kept pushing him back until he closed the door behind them. 'What is it, Sir?'  
'You still the best medic in the Guard?' Fox asked, confident of the answer but he needed Suture to admit it first.  
'Yes Sir. Top marks in all evaluations since I was assigned to the Guard.' Suture nodded, eyeing Fox warily. 'Is something wrong, Sir?'  
'I need your help. I've been in intense pain for the last month, unable to eat much beyond mashed tubers and other soft vegetables. I can't take much more of this; it's affecting my daily capability to complete my duties.' Fox explained, lightly rubbing his jaw as he spoke.  
'A month? Why didn't you say anything before now, Sir?' Suture asked; turning and opening one of the cabinets arranged around the room. 'Take a seat and I'll have a look.'

Settling back in the chair at the heart of this consultation room, Fox tried to relax as Suture set something on the table beside him and pulled on a pair of disposable gloves.  
'Can you tell me where the worst of the pain is?' Suture asked, slipping a visor over Fox's eyes and switching on the bright light overhead.  
'Somewhere here, I can't be more specific. It's just a constant sharp pain.' Fox replied, rubbing lightly at the right side of his jaw.  
'I'll find the problem, just relax and open wide.' Suture nodded, keeping his touch light as he leant in to take a closer look.

Eyes closing behind the visor, Fox tried to relax under Suture's hands but the moment his brother came near his troublesome teeth, Fox flinched away sharply.  
'Okay, I can see the problem. You've got a break in the enamel on one of your teeth. I could patch it but given the location, there's a big chance the patch will simply fall out and you'll be back to square one again. The better option would be simply to remove the tooth; you'll be fine without it.' Suture explained, leaning back a little and shutting off the light. 'It's your choice.'  
'But won't taking it out make things worse?' Fox asked, trying to stay relaxed in the chair.  
'It can at the start, as your body heals and adjusts to not having the tooth there but after a few weeks, you'll hardly even notice it.' Suture grinned, peeling off his gloves and pulling down his lower lip. 'See here, lost that one a few months back.'  
'Alright, take it out. I trust you Suture.' Fox nodded, letting his eyes close as he listened to Suture moving around the room.

Setting out how tools and making sure he had everything so he wouldn't need to leave Fox in a vulnerable position, Suture started up a steady stream of calming chatter as he numbed Fox's jaw and palate, watching for any signs of distress as he waited for the drugs to take effect. Satisfied that Fox was properly numbed, he started in on the problem tooth, wriggling it back and forth and tugging firmly with a slight twist until it popped free.

Tossing the pliers onto his tool tray, Suture continued to work on calming and soothing Fox's agitated nerves as he packed the fresh socket with gauze and guided Fox to bite down on it. Wiping up the blood he'd left on Fox's lip and making sure he was still biting firmly, Suture sealed up the remainder of the gauze packet he'd used and removed the loosely draped cloth from Fox's neck.  
'Okay, you'll be numb for at least another half hour, possibly a little longer. You're welcome to stay in here and sleep it off; I'll make sure you're not disturbed. Keep biting on that gauze for at least the next twenty minutes then spit it out carefully. Take care eating and drinking for the rest of the day, don't swill around and avoid chewing on that side tonight. No alcohol for at least 48 hours, give your body time to recover. Tomorrow, you can start bathing it with warm salty water. Again, don't swill it around, just hold it for a few minutes, spit and repeat at least five times a day.' Suture guided, placing the gauze pack and a set of written instructions on the table beside Fox. 'For now just rest and let the anaesthetic wear off. Try not to bite your tongue, lip or cheek.'

#^#^#^#^#^#

Two weeks since his secret surgery and Fox was feeling so much better about life now that he was rid of his troublesome tooth. He was still on a soft diet but he was taking slow steps back towards getting back onto a proper diet just like everyone else. Really, he just wanted a steak but Suture had suggested he hold off on that for at least another couple of weeks to allow his gum to thicken up over the empty space.

Accepting his tray of softer foods and looking forward to the burgers sitting there in place of the steak everyone else was enjoying, Fox headed over to where he could see the rest of his senior officers sitting and dropped down beside Stone.  
'So you finally given up on the vegetarian option then?' Thorn grinned, tucking into his steak with gusto. 'But I notice you're still eating different to the rest.'  
'Medical necessity this time. I broke a tooth a few weeks back and had to have it pulled.' Fox shrugged, figuring he might as well share his knowledge. 'Wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Certainly beats trying to act normal when even breathing hurt.'  
'So that's why your temper seemed a little short these last few weeks.' Stone remarked, chewing thoughtfully as he looked at Fox. 'You can't even tell you had anything done.'  
'Well, except for his altered diet.' Thorn added, ducking the lazy swipe Fox aimed at his head.  
'I miss Ponds.' Thire sighed, stirring his tuber mash slowly.  
'I can't believe he's gone.' Fox nodded, looking down at his meal. 'He was the first to realise something was wrong. He traded my steak for half his vegetables.'  
'He'll be missed, always.' Thorn agreed, sipping his kaf and looking around the mess.


End file.
